With a large proportion of foreign films, it’s not just the language barrier that can stop a white middle class male (such as myself) from completely comprehending everything that is going on. It’s more than safe to say that my knowledge of Korean history is equably negligible to my knowledge of Korea in general. I’m not ignorant, I just haven’t got round to that page on Wikipedia just yet. But now I know a little more from watching Blades of Blood.